Onyango eyes Goalkeeper of the Season award

Last season, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper watched as Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune walk away with the prize for the best man between the sticks at the end of last season.

Onyango last won the Golden Glove two seasons ago before Bidvest Wits shot-stopper Daren Keet earned the gong in the Students’ league title winning campaign.

“I want to compete for the Goalkeeper-of-the-Season,” Onyango said.

“It will be for the fourth year in a row that I compete for the award and there’s Kennedy Mweene, Brimah Razak and Thela Ngobeni (team-mates) and we need to push each other for this thing because we do it together I don’t do it myself,” he added.

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The former African-based Player-of-the-Year continued: “If it comes, well and good and if it doesn’t come, the club must win the title because we are looking at winning the title every season. Yes we can’t win all the time but the priority is the league title then the rest will follow.”

Although he is not shy to express his individual targets, he does maintain that the team comes first and it is important to retain the Absa Premiership title, of which they begin their title defence against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday. Another title that the Ugandan goal-minder has his sights on is the MTN8 – a trophy which remains elusive under coach Pitso Mosimane’s watch.

“It is one trophy that has really abandoned us but we believe we have the squad and we just need to stay focussed because it is a knockout and sometimes you want to rush and win it as quickly as possible but we just need to take a game at a time, starting with Golden Arrows which are a very tricky team with a lot of pace but as long as we get to the final.”

Masandawana did reach the final two editions ago only to lose to Wits. Onyango is adamant Downs can go one further this time around.

“Last time we lost it to Wits but I think this time if we go all the way to the final we will win it.”